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Hey everybody! How was your Thanksgiving? We had such a great time here in Knoxville - everyone came to our house and we enjoyed a truly relaxed time of stuffing our faces, laughing and actually getting to talk to each other.
It's funny how even when you spend time with your family, you can still be busy enough to cut it short or just not be mentally present. Maybe it was the fact that everyone was off from work that day - or maybe it was just cold and rainy enough for people to linger, but it was nice to hang with the family.
I've watched in amusement the last several days as what used to be just one day of sales has turned into like 5 days of "money events." Stores opened a day early on Thanksgiving day, Black Friday was still Black Friday, Saturday got devoted to local businesses, Monday the Internet was on sale and then Tuesday was all about giving. I love giving and all, but I just had to laugh and the ridiculousness of the marketing madness. I'm getting a little tired of everyone else telling me when and how to spend my money.
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We have a saying in our house that you've probably heard before. "You get what you get and you don't pitch a fit." It's a fun little rhyming reminder to the kids when they complain about all the things.
For example: I give them two cookies, they complain that they didn't get three. We take them somewhere special and they complain that we didn't go out to eat, too. As parents that can be super frustrating. You're doing your best, trying to make them happy and they aren't content with anything. It's not their fault, though. We all start out kind of selfish. That's why we have to teach them to be gracious and thankful, right? Right.
But lately I've been noticing that as we get older we start to forget that lesson, too.
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When we first started telling our friends and family that we were going to sell everything and begin full-time RVing we got a lot of funny looks. Lots of people talk about living on the road and getting to travel but few actually commit. Some say "When I retire...." but then retirement comes and goes and the older you get the more you feel like you either can't do it due to financial reasons or you can't because of your health.
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Ever since Adali and I finished up her comic book project, we've been trying to think of other creative ways for the kids to learn. Even when you homeschool it's easy to follow the curriculum to the "t" and not do anything else with it.
As my kids start getting older I'm excited to share new things with them. For instance, this week we started watching the Star Wars movies for the first time. Film education, anyone? :) Seriously, though - I get to watch it with them, give them history on the whole thing and help them tie the stories together. Even explain how some of the old effects were created and how they got updated in newer versions. They love to know how things are made and that excites me.
Wouldn't it be great if you had these little projects you could work on with your kids, too? I guarantee you they'll remember these moments many years from now - probably more than all the school functions, soccer games and birthday parties. Why? Because it's your chance to get personal with them, share knowledge with them that isn't in the form of a "stern talking to," and let them know what you're passionate about. It also shows them how much you want to spend time with them and do fun stuff together.
So! Here are some ideas to get you started:
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We talk a lot around here about trying to be a family that makes more than we consume. It's not easy, that's for sure. But sometimes we push through and something really cool happens.
A couple of months ago I sat down with Adali (our oldest) and gave her a school project. I told her she was going to make her own comic book! Needless to say this went over very well ;) I wanted to make sure she didn't just draw a few pictures and call it a day, though. I wanted her to know what it was like to work towards something bit by bit. To take on something that made her push through the dip we all face when trying to finish a project.
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Jonathan Longnecker / December 03, 2014
Ashley Longnecker / October 27, 2014
We’re Jonathan & Ashley Longnecker. We love weird ideas, great food, travel, drawing, music, homeschool, tattoos, dreads, woodworking, design and our 4 amazing kids.